Flash Index Shows Slow Growth

The growth remains slow, says the author of the University of Illinois Flash Index. Economics professor Fred Giertz says the measure of the state's economy, considering personal income, consumer spending, and corporate earnings, shows growth continues to outpace contraction, though the index has slipped from 106.8 in February to 106.5 in March.

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“The winter, obviously, was pretty harsh,” he said, “and it may be that there will be some pick-up after the spring starts. The decline might be just a weather-related sort of thing, but it’s not a major decline to begin with.”

Giertz points out Illinois’ unemployment remains stubbornly above the national rate by about 2 percentage points.